Oesophageal cancer staging using endoscopic ultrasonography

Despite encouraging results from Europe and the USA, endoscopic ultrasonography has yet to become established in the UK for imaging gastrointestinal lesions. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography for local tumour (T) and lymph node (N) staging of oesophageal cancer.

Endoscopic ultrasonography was performed in 50 consecutive patients with operable oesophageal cancer. Its accuracy for locoregional tumour staging was assessed and a detailed analysis of the distribution of ultrasonographically detected lymph nodes performed.

Endoscopic ultrasonography was highly accurate for both local tumour (92 per cent correct T stage prediction) and lymph node (86 per cent correct N stage prediction) staging compared with final histology. The procedure was also superior to open surgical staging performed by the surgeon; it had a tendency to overestimate malignant involvement of individual lymph nodes and had only limited ability to identify small benign lymph nodes, particularly in the abdomen.

Endoscopic ultrasonography was reliable for both local tumour and lymph node staging of oesophageal cancer.